David and Leah strolled casually down the sidewalk returning home just a few feet from one another,since Will had already had to run home to help in the 'family business' which was to say they collected and sold old,priceless novels and other pieces of literature,the two long-time friends were left on their own.They had always been particularly close but lately David had felt more attracted to her,she had an exuberantly cheerful demeanor and although she was one of the smartest and prettiest girls in school,she never seemed to mind that brains could not conquer beauty in the eyes of most of their peers.Still,she was still everything you'd except a cheerleader to be nearly.David noted all this as he kept stealing glances at her,as they were nearing their side-by-side houses.
"You okay?"Her sweet,winsome voice inquired him curiously and pulled him out of his thoughts."I mean..."she giggled teasingly."You've seemed a little out of it lately,would it have anything to do with our first day?"
David automatically brought his eyes to meet her light hazel ones and grinned modestly."I didn't realize you were noticing anything besides everything out in front of us,"he bit his lower lip,averting his eyes skyward to the unfathomable blue sky."Have you ever wondered about what might be out there?You know,beyond what wesee and understand as far as we've come so far and as long as we..."he froze up in his tracks and tried to hide the waves of red materializing on his cheeks."Of course...that's all probabley pretty dumb anyways.I've kind of been distracted lately."
"Quite the contrary,"Leah replied eagerly and when he turned to her she continued on her in her occasionally crisp,adroit."For many,many hundreds of years scientists,as well as ordinary people,have pondered relentlessly on the ever burdening question of 'What could be out there?' alot of times people would look to the stars for wisdom and guidence.Certain people like Eyptians and the people of..."she paused suddenly when they were standing directly facing the space between their houses on the sidewalk,her eyes faint umber eyes hinted with embarrassment."Sorry...I-I must have gotten ahead of myself there.But uh...you know how I can be sometimes.The fountatin of knowledge."
Seeing he wasn't alone with trying to restrain his feelings,he gave a small chuckle and placed a hand to her furtherst shoulder."Hey,I should be the one to talk...I mean..."his good-natured lecture trailed off as they both peered in unison down at his hand and it turnedpellucid instantly,as it always did,then changed back to normal as he turned to her to laugh sheepishly."It could be worse...you could turn invisible all the time."
Leah's face pinched with concern."How long has it been doing this?"
He frowned and then shrugged as if tired."Going on three years soon."
Without warning,Leah wrapped her arms around him for a brief few seconds and turned on her heel to sprint up to her house.David watched,not the least bit surprised,as she didn't even look back to if he was still looking after her retreating form.That was one thing she couldn't handle in the world,was his condition.The condition that was sometimes his body parts turning invisible on him.Why?He never knew and never told anyone.Only Leah and Tien knew because they'd been with him.But he had seen old movies of what they did to mutants and aliens...not that he thought he was one.But as if life wasn't hard enough,with his Mother struggling to make a living for them and all this occasional weirdness.He tried to set his usual fears aside,as he finally sighed deeply and started for the door of his own home.Hoping for a normal evening.
"Mom?I'm home."He announced his presence even though she could probabley hear him entering anyway,as he slipped his backpack off on a green plastic chair near the door and walked into the living room to find his Mother and Sister discussing away something on the couch."Guys,"he spoke out to them just loud enough for them to turn their attention to him."I'm home...Mom,what's that thing you want to tell us about?"
Samantha Fenton,Thirty-four and ususally in a good mode,casted anxious eyes on her son as he stood staring at the two of them from the large-framed enterance."David,I'm glad you're home."she greeted him warmly,gesturing slowly for him to have a seat in between them."I have something very important to tell you...I've already told you're sister part of it and I wanted to wait until you showed up to go on with the rest."
David glanced at his Sister,who flashed him a catious look."Okay..."he repiled a bit uneasily,as his Mother still held her inviting eyes on him while he crossed over and took a seat beside her but although her smile seemed forced there wasa sort of hiddeness to her,as he inquired her suspiciously."Alright...what's going on?Why are you just staring at me?"
"Sweetheart."Sam sighedwith resignation,dropping some of her artifical tenderness as she turned to look straight into her son's eyes with soberness."I've raised you two for a very long time...mostly on my own.But,"she had to pause as some moisture collected in her violet eyes but she resisted tearing and went on."It's time you knew the truth...about you're Father and everything.You see,when we were around you're age,his parents had made a ghost portal and we were checking it out.I dared him toenter itand he did.Leaving him...with ghost powers.But he was still human...only part.He was the first ever halfa,defending Amity Park from evil ghosts and eventually becoming famous.We had lots of adventures and he finally proposed to me when we were both 19.He had all the intention of being a good Father but the Ghost Zone,that's where the Ghost portal lead to,was being even more overrun by misfit and troublesome ghost.You're Father had won a title and he was very much in tune with his Ghost half...their needed to finally be balance and order and you're Father had become so great he felt lured to it.It was the hardest decision of his life...David Fenton."she offered him a small smile behind misty eyes."You and you're Sister are a quarter ghost."
At first,David couldn't be believe his ears...his Father,the man who hehad only slightly remembered from around five or six,was part ghost?And was some action hero who fought for justice and after having fallen for his Mother,had in the end disowned them all for this so-called Ghost Zone.A surge of angry went through him at that moment,as she further explained that he had contacted her recently and had asked them ifhe and Tienwould come for one week so he may discuss and possibley help them in uncovering their powers.He wasn't certain when they would start showing signsbut he had supposed it would be rightaround starting High School and all.After a minute or two of taking it in,he focused his full attention on her and studied the worry lines running from the edges of her eyes to her cheek bones,
"So..."she finally concluded with a great look of relief flooding over her."What do you think?I'm sorry if this seems a little out there.But if you've ever noticed anything going on with...well,are you alright about it?"
"I think..."David began as he surfaced from his daze,choosing his words carefully."I think I'm going to have to think this through."he jumped to his feet and dashed out all the way up the stairs.This can't be happening to me...after all this time of worrying and wondering,it's all lead up to this!My seemingly indifferent Father finally wants to become involved in my life and for 'what'?To learn more about his own screw-up by learning about my life,which he's NEVER been apart of...but,being part ghost would explain alot?So,why aren't I not more surprised?he thought these things in a whirlwindof a rush through his mind as he began to reconsider some things slowly,flopping down on his bed.He was finally getting awnsers for these randomly strange happenings in his life,many a night he'd stay awake,in wonderment and sometimes fear.His Mother actually knew what was going on and his Father,even though he still thought was fairly uninvolved,was taking some obligation for his absence.So did those things count for anything?
"I don't know what I don't believe more..."Tien ranted indignantly,as she appeared in his doorframe and stomped overto sit on the chair that was on the opposite of the window thatlooked downinto the backyard."The fact that Mom is saying were carrying some sort of weird spiritual essense or the fact that our long-lost Father has showen up mysteriously out of nowhere to help us 'unlock' these dumb,made-up powers."she unraveled what was irratating her in one supine spill,her knees and arms crossed,as she finally turned to look at him."How about you?Don't you feel the same?I mean...how can this 'not' be the craizest thing ever?"
David saw the expectancy lingering his Sister's clear,brillant blue eyes but before he answered,a large brown and black Shaggy Dog came bounding into the room and landed on thefoot of his bed."Hey,Bruno."a wide grin broke out onto his face,as the mix breed started to scoot up closer on his stomach and nudged David's hand gently with his soft,wet nose."What?You want me to scratch you're ears?Is that it boy,huh?"
Tien simply rolled her eyes at her Brother's pathetic affection for the tousled mutt."Why don't we just toss him out in the street already where he belongs?Aren't you just a wee bit old too have a pet anyways?"
"Oh,come on,sis.You know you love him."David told her banteringly as he stroked his Dog a few times and chuckled under his breath when she recoiled as Bruno turned his large,heart-melting brown eyes on her."Remember when our Dad brought him for us when we were younger."he mused with a smile,recalling the only vivid time he ever remembered getting a good look at the Man who he seemed to resemble alot."And how you got so upset when he ate all you're doll's shoes."
"And I never did forgive the slobbering,derranged mutant either."She added dryly,refusing to partake in the flashblack but the more she tried to resist,the more she seemed to be drawn to a conclusion as she stared at David once again seriously."Is this something you want to do?I mean,as weirded out as this all is...it does explain whats been happening to you."
David didn't awnser right away,his feelings were definitely wavering and he knew he had to come to a decision.To go for a while to some place where he could learn more about his powers and maybe some of his Father's strange past?Or...he grimanced at the thought.He could let his overly-eager Grandparents in on it.Either way,this seemed like a chance of a life time to get to see such an extradionary yet sort of creepy place and it would only be a week.Yet,the feeling of foreboding filtered through him briefly as he made his final statement in the matter.
"I think we should go."
LP